Application

D-(+)-Galactose was used for examining the specificity of staining with SBA-FITC during labeling of cells for fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). It was used for selecting the transformed strains of S. cerevisiae.

Biochem/physiol Actions

Galactose is a monosaccharide sugar and is the natural antigen present on the blood cells. It induces memory loss, neurodegeneration as well as oxidative damage in mice due to systemic exposure.

Galactose is a simple monosaccharide that serves as an energy source and as an essential component of glycolipids and glycoproteins. Galactose contributes to energy metabolism via its conversion to glucose by the enzymes that constitute the Leloir pathway. Defects in the genes encoding these proteins lead to the metabolic disorder galactosemia.